


a welcome distraction

by dogstarblack



Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: F/M, M/M, idk this is just for the most part a feel good jily thing because i love them
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-11-17
Updated: 2017-11-17
Packaged: 2019-02-03 11:27:33
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,353
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12747387
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/dogstarblack/pseuds/dogstarblack
Summary: She looked at the boys, then James, and saw the traces of nervousness in his face she’d learned to recognize. “I will.” She grabbed his hand in both of her’s and squeezed. “I’m pregnant.”A beat of silence.Chaos.“You’rewhat?”“That’s amazing!”“I can’t believe I’m going to be a dad!”The last one came from Sirius, and James snorted out a laugh.





	a welcome distraction

“James?” Lily called when James opened the front door to their house.

“Yeah, it’s just me,” he called back, walking in the direction her voice came from. “Where are you?”

“Bedroom,” she said, her voice shaking.

He started to worry then, because Lily’s voice was always strong and smooth and loud unless there was something seriously wrong. He walked into their room and saw her sat on their bed, wringing her hands. He sped towards her and sat next to her, taking one of her hands in his.

“What’s wrong, love?” he asked, kissing the top of her head.

“Well, I--I noticed I hadn’t gotten my period yet, and you know it was supposed to start last Friday, right?” She asked. He nodded, and she continued, “I decided it couldn’t--couldn’t hurt to go out and buy a test just to make sure I wasn’t, and I--it was positive?”

He stared at her a moment. “Are you saying what I think you are?”

“I’m pregnant,” she said, and he felt all the breath leave him for a moment.

Then he broke out in a smile.

“Lily, that--that’s wonderful!” he shouted, turning her to face him. “We’ve both said we were going to want to have a family, what’s wrong with that happening a bit sooner than expected? This is going to be wonderful, I promise you.”

“We’re in the middle of a _war,_ James. How is that a good time to have a child?” she asked, her voice breaking.

“The timing is absolutely shit, you’re right, but that doesn’t matter, okay? We will still give this child everything they could ever need, and we will love them more than anything. Even if everything is going to shit in the world, this baby will be okay,” James said, pressing a hand to her stomach.

“What if--what if we don’t make it out of this war, James? The baby would be an orphan,” Lily said, tears falling down her face. 

“And you know Sirius and Remus and Peter would raise that baby. You _know_ that, Lils. No matter what happens, our child will be okay,” he assured her, pulling her to his chest. “This baby is going to grow up with so much love that they’ll be beyond embarrassed of us when they get older, okay? And if we aren’t the ones that get to watch this child grow up, you know that Sirius alone could more than make up for it, and Remus and Peter would be the responsible ones that make sure Sirius doesn’t do anything stupid like take the baby on his bloody flying motorcycle. This child will be okay.”

She was silent for a minute after that, gripping his shirt and sniffling every few seconds. He moved one of his hands to her head and petted her hair, knowing it relaxed her. Eventually, she pulled back and looked up at him with glassy eyes.

“We’re really doing this, aren’t we?” she asked.

“I think we are,” he told her, smiling.

She let herself smile then, just a small one, but it was a start.

“I’m going to be a mum,” she whispered, her eyes widening. 

“You are,” James said, grin widening.

“We--we need to tell our parents. We need to tell the boys!” she exclaimed, excitement starting to show in her voice.

“Let’s start with parents,” James suggested. “You know the boys are going to cry more than them, and we’re going to need to prepare ourselves for them to tell _everyone._ ”

“Parents tomorrow, the boys the day after?” Lily suggested.

“An excellent idea,” he said, giving her a quick kiss. “Now, what should I do for dinner?”

Lily groaned. 

“I was _hoping_ we could just lie in bed and do nothing tonight. Can I order a pizza? I know you’re bloody hopeless with a telephone,” she teased. 

“Another excellent idea,” James said. “Knew I married you for a reason, you’re full of them.”

“Very funny,” she said, getting up to go make the call on the phone she’d insisted they install in the kitchen. James didn’t think they needed one at all when they could always Floo people, but Lily had made the point that her parents couldn’t reach them by Floo, and didn’t have owls to deliver post with any efficiency. 

She was back a few minutes later, and returned back to her spot in the bed, laying down and pulling James down with her. “We’ve got thirty or so minutes until the food gets here, and until then, you’re not moving from here.”

He laughed and agreed, wrapping his arms around her.

“I love you so much,” he said, “no matter what happens. I love you, and I’ll love our baby just as much.”

“I love you too,” she said, her voice no longer wavering. “We’ll be okay, right?” 

“Of course.” He kissed the top of her head and smiled. 

\--

In hindsight, it may have been a good idea to call Lily’s parents to tell them they were coming over before Apparating into their living room in the middle of the afternoon. Mrs. Evans was sat on one of the plush chairs in the room, and let out a loud scream when they initially appeared, clutching her chest and glaring once she realised it was just James and Lily. Mr. Evans came running into the room a moment later brandishing a rolling pin, but lowered it once he took in the scene in front of him. 

“ _Honestly_ , Lily, are you trying to give your mother a heart attack?” Mrs. Evans asked, shaking her head.

“I’m sorry we didn’t warn you, mum, we were just excited to get over here,” Lily said, smiling at James, and then at her parents.

“Well sit down, then,” Mrs. Evans said, gesturing to the couch. “And you,” she said to her husband, “put the damn rolling pin away.”

Mr. Evans gave his wife a sheepish smile and walked back out of the room, returning a few moments later without the rolling pin. He sat next to Mrs. Evans and looked expectantly at Lily and James.

“What brings you two here today?” he asked, leaning back. “If you’d given us some warning, we could’ve had some tea ready.”

“Can’t a daughter just pop in to see her parents?” Lily asked, squeezing James’ hand and-- _oh_. She was nervous.

“When have you ever _popped in_ without reason, or at the very least, without telling us beforehand?” Mrs. Evans asked, cocking an eyebrow, but James could see a bit of worry behind her eyes. “Nothing bad happened did it? To you or any of your friends?”

Lily’s face fell, just a bit, just enough for James to notice it, and he cleared his throat.

“We’ve actually got good news,” he told them. “At least, I hope you’ll think it’s good news.”

“Well, get on with it, then,” Mrs. Evans said, the worry evaporating almost entirely.

“You’re going to be grandparents,” Lily said, her smile firmly back in place. 

“You--you’re pregnant?” Mr. Evans asked, his eyes widening. 

Lily nodded, and both of her parents’ faces split wide with matching smiles. 

“That’s wonderful!” her mother shouted, getting up and crossing the room the wrap Lily and James up in a hug. She pulled away after a few moments, eyes shining. “Do you know if it’s a boy or a girl yet?”

“Definitely not,” Lily said, laughing. “We only just found out we’re having a baby at all, I’m definitely not far enough along yet to know the sex.”

“No matter, we’ll spoil this baby rotten either way, isn’t that right?” Mrs. Evans said, turning to her husband, who laughed but nodded.

“Of course we will.”

“Who else have you told?” Mrs. Evans asked, walking back to her seat next to her husband.

“Nobody yet, we’re going to tell James’ parents on the way home, and we’ll tell Sirius, Remus, and Peter tomorrow,” Lily told them. “We’re overdue to visit James’ parents anyway.”

“Tell them we say hello?” Mr. Evans requested.

“My parents or the boys?” James asked.

“Well, both,” Mr. Evans said.

“Can do, sir,” James said, nodding. 

“Would you like to stay for tea?” Mrs. Evans asked.

“We would love to, but if we stay too long, it’ll be too late to go see James’ parents,” Lily told them, tone apologetic.

“Maybe later this week, though?” James chipped in.

“That would be lovely,” Mrs. Evans said, smile softening. “You two should be on your way then, you don’t want the flower shop to close before you get out of here, right?”

“Bye mum, bye dad,” Lily said, standing to hug them both. 

James followed, giving them both a quick hug and goodbye, then threaded his fingers through Lily’s.

“See you in a few days,” he said, and then they were gone, and James and Lily were behind a flower shop in Godric’s Hollow. 

James didn’t let go of Lily’s hand when they got there, and she didn’t let go of his. She knew he needed it. They walked into the little shop, and the man behind the register smiled at them.

“Haven’t seen you two in a while, how have you been?” he asked, voice warm.

“We’ve been good!” James said immediately. “We just found out we’re having a baby, actually. We’re about to go tell my parents.”

“That’s wonderful!” the man said. “Do you still want the flowers you usually get, then, or do you want something special for today?

“The usual. I don’t think they’ll be too upset,” James said, smiling. 

The man nodded and set to work making the bouquet. James pulled out the amount he needed to pay for it, having long since memorized the price. The man handed James his bouquet, James handed him the money, thanked him, and then James and Lily were out the door.

They always walked the rest of the way from the flower shop. James said it was because he was afraid he'd lose the flowers if they Apparated. It took about ten minutes that way, and the walk was in relative silence, occasionally broken by one of them pointing out an interesting person or house. 

When they arrived at the gates, James let out a heavy sigh, and Lily nudged his shoulder with her’s. 

“Hey,” she said, “no getting lost in your head, yeah? I rather like having you here when you're right next to me.”

He didn't say anything to that, but he did smile at her, and she took it as the small victory it was. He led her through the gates and through the rows of headstones, knowing the route to Fleamont and Euphemia Potter like the back of his hand. They were near the center, their headstones a bit larger than those around them. 

Being able to stand out in death--the perks of having wealth, James thought, somewhat bitterly.

“Hey mum and dad,” he said, crouching down and setting the flowers on the ground between their headstones, “you remember Lily, don't you?”

Lily crouched down next to him and put her hand on his knee.

“Hi Fleamont, hi Euphemia,” she said, remembering how they always insisted she called them by their first names. “Sorry we haven't been to see you in a few months, the Order’s been running us ragged.”

“We have some news though, and we knew you’d want to hear about it as soon as possible, James said, a smile creeping onto his face. “You want to tell them, Lils?”

“I told my parents, it's only fair you get to tell yours,” she said, her tone teasing.

“True,” he agreed, and was silent a moment before clearing his throat. “Lily and I are having a baby.” His eyes became glassy, and he let out a quiet laugh. “I wish you could be here. You always did say you wanted grandchildren, even if you thought it was a lost cause until the last few months that you were around since I’d always been so in love with Lils, and we all thought she’d never feel the same.”

Lily put an arm around James and rested her head on his shoulder, kissing his jaw. 

“This is one of the only times you two have been wrong that I've seen,” Lily joked, and James chuckled, shaking his head.

“We’re going to raise this baby with just as much love as you did with me and Sirius, and I’ll make sure to tell them all the stories that you used to tell me as a kid. We’ll do our best to be good parents, I promise,” James told them, patting the headstones and standing. “We’ll be back as soon as we can. Love you mum, love you dad.”

“Goodbye Fleamont and Euphemia, it's always nice to talk to you. I'll be sure to take care of James since we all know he’s absolutely hopeless on his own,” Lily said, linking arms with James.

He rolled his eyes and kissed her on the top of the head, and they turned to leave. “So, we tell the boys tomorrow, right?” Lily asked as they were leaving. “Because I don't know about you, but I’d like to spend the rest of the night together, just us. I know you like some quiet time after we visit your parents.”

“Sounds perfect,” James said. “Ready to go?”

She nodded, and they Apparated back home. 

Lily made dinner that night, and James sat at the table and watched, smiling at her and wondering how he got so lucky.

The timing may have been utter shit, but he couldn't wait to have a family with her.

\--

They owled the boys first thing in the morning, grateful that Remus and Sirius shared a flat, because they only had two owls. They asked the three of them over for dinner and said they had something important to tell them.

Naturally, all three of them were there by noon, demanding to know if Lily and James were okay, and what kind of announcement.

Sirius Apparated into their living room barely more than an hour after they’d sent the owl, probably right after reading it. He looked worried for a moment, but the worry melted into a smile when he saw James and Lily both there, completely unharmed.

“Give a man a fucking heart attack, why don't you?” he said, shaking his head, but walked over to give James and Lily each a hug and a kiss on the cheek.

Remus appeared moments later, looking exasperated with Sirius, but there was a definite fondness there too. 

“I tried telling him you two were okay, but he’d already gone,” Remus explained, giving James and Lily a hug and shaking his head at Sirius.

“To be fair, when you say you have news and you need us all over, you should've expected this,” Sirius said defensively. 

“I mean, we weren't planning for it, but we aren't surprised either,” Lily said.

“ _I_ expected it, but Lily here thought you'd be rational. Honestly, we've already established I’m your soulmate, Pads, she should've known I’d never be wrong about you,” James told them, flopping down onto the couch and pulling Sirius down with him.

“If I hadn't already married James, and Sirius wasn't so bloody gone for you, I’d be worried they’d run off in the night together and never come back,” Lily said to Remus, rolling her eyes and sitting on James’ other side.

Remus nodded in agreement and sat on the armchair next to the couch. 

“Don't give us ideas, it could still happen,” Sirius warned, grinning, then faced Remus and pouted. “Why are you sitting so far away?” 

“There aren’t any other spots on the couch,” Remus said, cocking an eyebrow. 

“I have a perfectly fine lap,” Sirius countered, grinning.

“Ridiculous,” Remus said, shaking his head, and mockingly glared at Lily when she started laughing.

“You boys,” she said, looking at them fondly.

Sirius shrugged and got up, plopping himself down into Remus’ lap. Remus protested for a moment, but Sirius cut him off. “Pete’ll need somewhere to sit when he gets here, I’m just being a good friend, really.”

“Speaking of which,” Remus said, “what was the big news you needed us here for so urgently?”

“Be patient Moony, you’ll have to wait here until Wormy shows up since you got here so damn early,” James told them. 

Sirius pouted but didn’t protest, other than a muttered “Well, he’d better hurry his arse up.”

Lily got up a few minutes later to make tea, and the boys stayed on the couch, catching up on everything they’d missed in the past week or so of not seeing each other, and Peter showed up just as they were finishing the tea.

“I was going to come at the time you said, but then I realized I’d be an idiot to do that because I knew that idiot,” he started, pointing his thumb in Sirius’ direction, “would get here the second he got the letter.”

“Hello to you too, Peter,” Sirius said, grinning and nodding at Peter. “Be grateful I was willing to give up my seat on the couch so you wouldn’t have to take the floor.”

Peter looked from Remus to Sirius, a smile creeping onto his face. “I’m sure it was so difficult for you.”

Peter sat down, in the open spot next to James, and James put an arm around Lily’s shoulder. “I suppose you’re probably wondering why we asked you over,” he said, smiling at them.

“It had crossed my mind, yes,” Remus replied, nodding.

“Are you telling them or am I?” James asked, looking at Lily.

She looked at the boys, then James, and saw the traces of nervousness in his face she’d learned to recognize. “I will.” She grabbed his hand in both of her’s and squeezed. “I’m pregnant.”

A beat of silence. 

Chaos.

“You’re _what_?” 

“That’s amazing!”

“I can’t believe I’m going to be a dad!”

The last one came from Sirius, and James snorted out a laugh.

“Pretty sure that’s me, mate,” James said, kissing the top of Lily’s head.

“How did this--” Peter started, obviously at a loss for words.

“Well, when a man and a woman love each other very much--” Lily said, getting cut off by Sirius letting out a, frankly, over dramatic sob.

“You two grew up so fast!” he shouted, wiping his eyes. “It feels like just last week she was hexing him for saying she was as beautiful as the Giant Squid!”

“That was last week,” Remus reminded Sirius, kissing him on the cheek. “When did you find out?”

“Day before yesterday,” Lily answered, “but I was suspicious for a bit before I knew for sure.”

“You alright there, Pete? You look like you've gone into shock,” James commented, giving Peter a lazy grin.

Peter blinked hard and nodded his head.

“It's just--I didn't expect this so soon, you two becoming parents. We’re still only nineteen, and you're starting a family. I mean, it makes sense. You're married and all, it was just a matter of time. I was just caught off guard is all?” Peter explained. “I’m happy for you though! You two are going to make great parents.”

“Thank you, Peter,” Lily said, smiling softly at him. 

“And they’ll have the best uncles in the world,” James added.

“Damn right they will,” Sirius agreed.

\--

He was born on the last day of July. Harry James Potter. 

James started crying the second he saw him, _his son,_ and wouldn’t let go of little Harry’s hand--how did anything have hands so small?--even when Lily or Sirius or Remus or Peter held him. 

He’d only been in this world for a few minutes, but they all loved him so damn much already. James vowed to himself to do whatever it took to keep his son safe, especially in the middle of this war, that no harm would come to him. 

He saw his friends do the same, heard Lily whisper it. Their child, their Harry, would never know harm, that much he was sure of.


End file.
